RIATH AL-SAMARRAI: They all have a tale to tell about Sir Jim Ratcliffe in the one haven of his sporting empire where things are going to plan. Among them is an English sailor named Freddie Carr, who was part of a pretty dire America’s Cup run in Auckland in 2021 and is integral to the campaign that is currently pursuing history in Barcelona. Carr has been there with Ben Ainslie the whole way, since long before the latter met Ratcliffe for a gin in Mayfair six years ago, when they agreed on a collaboration that, to date, has run up a £250million bill. An outgoing and fun sort, Carr is easy to like. And Ratcliffe feels the same, so they’ve chatted about all kinds of topics, often football, and frequently during long cycle rides on the bikes borrowed from another of Ratcliffe’s acquisitions, the INEOS Grenadiers.
